Slate-ruling machine



(No Model.) L. O. BROADWELL.

SLATB -RULING MACHINE.

No. 435.390. Patented Sept. 2,. 189th h/ l l B zb/ f n i 3" e f me omePneus co., mowumot, wAsmnaww, n. :A

UNITED STATES aTnNT Fries.

SLATE-RULING MACH-HNE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 435,890, datedSeptember 2, 1890.

Application tiled .Tune 28,1889. Serial No. 315,859. (No model.)

To aZZ whom. it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, LOUIS O. BQROADWELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bay City, in the county of Bay and State of Michigan, haveinvented certain new and uselul Improvements in Slate-Rulin g Machines;and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription ot the invent-ion, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this speciiication.

My invention relates to improvements in slate-ruling machines, and isdesigned more especially for ruling lines with suitable spaces betweenupon the surface of the slates for the use of pupils in the primarydepartment of schools, as an aid in acquiring the proper formation ofletters and figures with an ordinary slate-pencil; and my inventionconsists in a frame for holding the slate and provided with suitableguideways extending across above the slate,atrame sliding upon the saidguideways and provided with adjustable blocks carrying a series ofspring-supported steel points arranged to stand obliquely to and withtheir points impinging upon the slate, and devices for adjusting theblocks to adapt the points to various slates.

The invention further consists in the combination and arrangement of theseveral devices which I use in the construction of my improvedmachine,las I shall hereinafterproceed to minutely describe, anddistinctly point out in the claims of this speciication.

The objects of this invention are to provide a machine by means of whicha person unskilled in the art may evenly and quickly provide a number ofslates with true and accurate parallel lines having even and correctspaces between, whereby the entire number of slates in the room will beprovided with lines and spaces of the same character and size, so thatthe pupils will be enabled to practice the formation of letters ot thesame dimension and appearance throughout the department. I attain theseobjects by means of the devices illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which will be found similar letters of referencedesignating the same parts or elements throughoutv the several views.

Figure l represents a plan view of my improved apparatus having a slatein position and partly ruled. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of theslate and slate-holdin g fram e, with a side view in elevation of theruling` device in position for operation. view in elevation and enlargedot' my improved machine with a partial section of the slate-holdingframe. Fig. 4 is a vertical section ot the same, taken at x.

a represents the bottom of a rectangular slate-holding frame A.

D b are end pieces, and CZ and fl are the lateral side pieces of theframe projecting above the bottom a somewhat more than the thicknessotan ordinary slate-trame c, the side d, however, being dividedhorizontally and its upper portion e hinged at c to the lower portion,so that it may be turned outwardly.

f f are end pieces, and g g are the side pieces, of a rectangular frameB, which are of the same outside dimension as the slateholding frame A,upon which it is placed and secured in position by hinges 7L. The endpieces g and g project over the inner edges of the pieces b and Z7', andare provided on their inner edges with supporting-guides h and h,projecting outwardly t rom their lower portions, the top ot the guidebeing coincident with the top of the side pieces g g', the thickness ofwhich are considerably lessthan the thickness of the end pieces, so thatthe portion above the supporting-guide forms a lateral guide, and i andt" are supporting guide-pieces placed across the frame and secured bytheir ends to the side pieces g and g', the spaces between the guides iand t" and the end guides h and 7L being equal.

is a holder or block provided on each end with oblique transverse slidesj', which extend beyond the sides of the block and rest with their loweredges upon'the supportingguides, and on the front side of the holder jand between the slides are placed thc blocks le. These blocks areprovided with 'a rearwardly-projecting lug 7.5', having a screwthreadedopening, and the holderj is provided with a chamber l to receive eachlug and al- Fig. 3 is a front' IOO low a vertical movement thereof, andZ are adj usting-screws passed downwardly through the upper portion ofthe holderj and through the lugs 7c for retaining the blocks and adjusting them to a proper position, as will be presently explained.

Each of the blocks lo are provided on their lower portions with a seriesot' longitudinal openings m, while above the openings m are arranged thechambers m, containing coiled springs a.

n are tracing-pins placed within the open ings m, with the head portions0 within the chambers m and against the spring n, and are provided ontheir lower ends with the points o', which project below the lower edgesof the supporting-blocks,but which, however, may recede within theblocks whenever sufiicient pressure is applied thereon to overcome thepower of the springs n, which operate to press downwardly upon the headso of the pins, and are retained in position andthe tension thereofregulated by the screw-plugs I), which are passed into the upper end ofthe chambers m.

P is a plate placed across in front of. and against thesupporting-blocks 7c, and is held in position by its ends resting ingrooves or being otherwise secured to the slidesj, and this plateoperates to retain the supportingblocks firmly in position, yet allows avertical adjustment of the blocks to be had by means of the screws Z toadapt the points 0 to operate upon slates of dilterent thickness.

In practice the upper rectangular frame B is raised, as shown by thedotted lines in Iiig. 2, and the slate c is placed in position upon thebottom of the frame A, with its side and end against one side piece dand one end piece b of the frame, and the upper frame B is then closedover the slate. The holder-.7' is then placed -in position upon one ofthe spaces between the transverse guides,\vithits slides j resting uponthe guides and with its rear side toward the side piece CZ, whichsustains the slate against a lateral movement, the tracing-points oresting upon the surface of the slate c at the edge opposite the pieced, the supporting-blocks It, however, being adjusted by the screws Z toa position that when the slidesj are resting firmly upon the guides thepoints will be slightly receded against the springs n, and the block jis then pushed along the guides toward the piece d, and the points othus carried across the slate-surface cut into and torni a series oflines 1f thereon, the distance between the points being ol courseproperly arranged to produce the desired spaces between the lines. Theproper form of ruling slates for this purpose being, as hereinillustrated, four lines with equal spaces, then a space equal to two ofthe smaller spaces, then four lines again, then a wider space, and soon; and it will be noticed that the guides i and t" are so arranged asto be over the wider spaces so that when the tracing device is passedover the first space between the guides for ruling the end portion ofthe slate-surface, the operation is repeated over the next space betweenthe guides, and the space between the adjacent lines formed by twooperations will be equal to the wider spaces before mentioned; and toattain this result the pins n', carried by the two outersupporting-blocks, are arranged so that' their points diverge outwardlyor away from the center block, so that a sulicient width of theguidepieces i and 'i' may be had to insure propell stiffness andrigidity thereof. It will be noticed that as slatcs areot various sizesand dimensions the frame c will not always allow all of the points toimpinge upon the slate-surface as the block is passed over the lastspace between the guides, andin that event one or more of the blocks kisraised by means of the adjusting-screws to permit a portion of thepoints to pass above the frame, while the spring n permits each of thepoints to recede or move outward to compensate for any unevenness ofsurface or for slight Variations in thickness of slates or slate-frames.

It will be seen that a great saving in time and labor is obtained by myimprovement besides a uniform and complete system of ruling upon theslates throughout the several departments in a school-building, so thatall of the younger pupils may acquire alike the art of forming with aslate-pencil letters of the same dimension and appearance.

Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l, In a slate-ruling machine, the combination, with a supporting-holderprovided with a central chamber, ot the series of ruling-pins with oneend passed through the holder and into the chamber and with theiropposite pointed ends projecting beyond the holder, and the springswithin the chamber for pressing the said pins outwardly, substantiallyas set forth. y

2. The combination, in a slate-ruling machine, oi the series ofruling-pins and the springs for impinging the said pins upon theslate-surfacc, of a supporting-holder for carrying the said series ofpins and provided with a chamber inclosing the springs, and devices, asdescribed, for retaining the said series of pins in a position obliqueto the surface of the slate, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, in a slate-ruling machine, of the holder provided onits lateral sides with slides having their lower edges standing obliqueto the front side ofthe holder, and the supporting-blocks adj ustablysecured to the front side'of the said holder and carrying a series ofspring-pressed ruling-pins, substantially as set forth.

4E. The combination, in a slate-ruling machine, of a slate-holding frameprovided with an upper section having transverse guides extending acrossabove the slate, with a holdei` having on its lateral sidessupporting-slides IDO IIO

adapted to run in said guides on the frameseetion, and thesupporting-blocks adjustably seen red to the front side ot' theholderand carrying a series of spring-pressed ruling-pins having their pointsprojecting below the said guides, substantially as set forth.

5. In a slate-ruling machine, the combination of the slate-holding framehaving an npper section provided with a series of transverse guidesarranged in pairs and extending across above the slate, and the holderj, having its front side inclined and supported by slides resting on thesaid guides, the supporting-blocks secured to the front side of the saidholder and provided with a series of chambers in their upper portionsand with a series of openings from the said chambers to the lower edgeof the block, a series of rulingpins within the said openings with theirhead portions Within the chambers and their points projecting below thelower edge of the block, and a series of springs within the chambers andbearing against the heads of the pins, substantially as set forth.

6. The Combination, in a slate-ruling machine, of the holder provided onits lateral sides with the slides j', and having in the lower portionof'its front side the Chamber l, with the supporting-blocks k resting onthe front side of the bloek, and provided with the lugs 7c within theChamber Z, and having in their upper portions the chambers m', carryingthe spr-ings n, and on their lower portions with the openings fm,carrying the ruling-pins n', and the adj Listing-screws Z passingthrough the upper portion of the holder and tapped into the said lugs7s', substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof l affix iny signature in presence of two witnesses.

LOUIS O. BROADWELL.

Witnesses:

J. R. GooDFELLow, CHEsLEY WHEELER.

